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Stop blocks The stop block is an age-old way to cut multiple workpieces to the same length without measuring again and again. A hinged block is nice. It lets you trim both ends of a board without changing the setting. Using the hinge. With the block flipped up, trim one end square (above). Then butt the square end against the block and cut to length (right). Cutting multiples will be quick and accurate. back toward the user and cause it to pivot on the corner of the gauge. The fence should be tall enough to retain its strength when the blade passes through it. Extending the fence 11⁄2 in. or so past the blade will help you safely push short cutoffs beyond the blade. The preset angle stops on most miter gauges are rarely accurate. To set for 90°, put the gauge in the slot upside down and, with the lock knob loosened, slide the head up flat against the rip fence rail and tighten the knob. If the saw is properly set up, that should do it. Check it once with a drafting triangle to make sure it is accurate. Making a basic crosscut To make a 90° crosscut, simply hold the stock against the miter-gauge fence and push the gauge through the cut. To avoid pinning the stock to the table and to keep your hands a safe distance from the blade, apply downward pressure only over the gauge’s steel bar. After completing the cut, be sure to move the stock off the gauge and away from the blade before sliding the miter gauge back. This avoids the chance that the blade will catch, and throw, the workpiece during the return stroke. You can work to a simple pencil mark, but a stop block makes it easy to crosscut multiple pieces to the same length. My block is hinged and designed to work with my 3-in.-tall auxiliary fence. A small piece of 1⁄4-in. plywood fastened at the top of the block keeps it about 1⁄8 in. off www.finewoodworking.com For longer work, a longer stop block. A hooked block, held in place with a pair of clamps, works for even the longest workpieces. For short cutoffs, a standoff fence. If you use the rip fence as a stop, short pieces can get trapped between the fence and blade. So butt the workpiece against a standoff stop, clamped to the rip fence well in front of the blade. MAY/JUNE 2009 29